Midnight on the Midway (2006)

[emzebel]

Lightning splits the sky, illuminating the skeletal skyline of the carnival rides: sugared incense and night-blooming flowers.

First off, I don't get *any* jasmine out of this, thank goodness, as the night blooming variety is almost certain to bring on an instant migraine.

What I do get is a collection of florals that are sort of similar to Cheoptera, richly coated with something akin to incense and cotton candy. Which sounds sort of weird, but is really quite lovely.

[yeahbutnobut]

Midnight on the Midway

 

In the imp: a very pretty sugared floral.

Wet on skin: nag champa! I totally agree with other reviews because this smells like sugary nag champa now!

Dry on skin: mmm, this is gorgeous. This is nag champa incense (or champaca flower?), enhanced by the addition of sugar and more floral notes…and it actually reminds me very slightly of either Midnight (how appropriate) or the Evening Star! There may be some moonflower in here, and also a hint of iris, or poppy or tuberose, since it also reminds me of Stardust at times. Maybe a tiny amount of jasmine? These are true night bloomers, dewy and luminous, with an ethereal perfume, but with a wonderful sugary scent floating over the top, reminiscent of the pink fluff of candy floss (I don't get fried donuts here like I did with Midway).

After a while: this stays pretty constant, but the sugar note gets stronger, it's sweet pinkness softening the nag champa and pale floral notes. It reminds me of Midway, but more like actual sugar, and less like fried sugary dough. This is a lovely scent, and I love the hippie scent of the nag champa in here!

After many hours, I start to get a note which smells like night air! And I love the smell of night air. Slightly ozoney but not soapy like most stormy ozones. This is like summer night air, warm and humid but, to me, reminiscent of being on holiday, for some reason.

Verdict: this is indeed the nocturnal counterpart to Midway, and fits the description perfectly. This smells like night blooming flowers (I think there's moonflower, champaca, iris, one of the notes from Evening Star/Stardust, maybe just a hint of jasmine or tuberose), candy floss like sugar, and an incense note which smells just like nag champa, with it's hippie-ish vibe. It's a delicious combination of notes, it really does evoke the fair at night, the smell of lightly cooked sugar wafting on the breeze along with the perfumes of moist flowers on a sultry summer night. It's a beautiful, evocative fragrance and the floral notes aren't overwhelming. As well as being the opposite of Midway, it also seems like a good companion scent to the Carnaval Diabolique scent-they seem like two sides of the same coin, sharing a similar feel, but through different scents. Another one to get a bottle or two of!

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Midway, Carnaval Diabolique, Midnight, Evening Star

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Bagfish]

Midnight on the Midway dries down to a fuzzy vanilla floral on my wrist. It is a soft and gentle sugary sweet scent, with a hint of floral soap about it. Unfortunately I get none of the nag champa that other reviewers have written about which is a shame.

 

I can definitely smell a similarity to the original Midway, but unfortunately for me, the night blooming flowers don't improve on the yummy vanilla. I'm still new to appreciating florals and although there doesn't appear to be any overt jasmine in this, for me, the florals detract from the pleasant vanilla scent.

 

Not bottleworthy, but may keep the imp.

[Nadirah]

Right away I get the same feel that Bearded Lady had with me, very jasmine, with something sweet alongside. After I've been wearing it for an hour or so I have to say it smells like Daturas, clean Laundry and Chocolate. It mostly reminds me of coming home late at night and the Datura is putting out its heavy scent and someone is doing laundry in the house (we use the lavender scented soap that sells at Trader Joes) With chocolate on funnel cakes. Its good. I will have to see how it wears over time more.

The throw is above average I'd say but not too intense that it makes it so it is unbearable to be around.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Nadirah

[CapricornSister]

This is sugary incense to my nose and it stays very true on my skin. I can't really pick out the flower notes, but they may be adding to the sweetness of the scent. The sugar hits me first, then underneath is that nag champa smell that I do love

I have to say that this is quickly becoming one of my favorite oils! I feel like hoarding this one and have to keep reminding myself that it's up until next August

Bravo Beth!

[Lorencita]

This is definately my favorite so far of the CD blends. This is all sugared vanilla incense on a bed of white petals. This is hardly floral to my nose, mostly sugared vanilla Nag champa on my skin. I actually think this just made it straight to top 3 blends for me. I am in love and thanking Beth that I can get MANY bottles of this over this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ETA... typo

Edited September 14, 2006 by Lorencita

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

hmmm... so far the Carnival is turning out to be verrrry different from what i had expected.

 

i thought this would be THE bottle but... nope. not so far.

 

sniffed from the bottle: commercial air freshener

 

skinsniff, wet: traditional floral blend

 

skinsniff, dry: very expensive triple-milled soap and very expensive hand-rolled incense.

 

so i guess this is what a rich hippie smells like?

i really like it, don't get me wrong, but it isn't anything at all like what i expected...

i think i'll put some more of this on right before i go to sleep and see what happens

[violetblue]

Yes!!! I am so glad to come here and see I am not the one smelling the nag champa!! I love how sweet and incensey this smells on me, just wish it lasted somewhat longer on me - Midway was the same way. I do detect a hint of jasmine as well and it is lovely.

Between this one and Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller, I'd never have to change perfumes again if I wanted to, as I don't see myself ever growing tired of either one. You're the best, Beth!

[Deiicide]

In the Bottle: Hmm, It smells like a watered down Midway

 

Upon the Arm, wet: *sniffsniff* This smells a lot like Gypsy Queen except with a bit more floral tinge.

 

5 minutes later: I feel a bit dizzy. I hope this isn't Midnight upon Midway. It must mean there is a bit of Opium or Poppy in there because that's the only thing that makes me dizzy. The jasmine is overtaking some things and it's a whole jumble of notes.

 

20 minutes later: Much better. So much better. This has the same creminess that Gyspy Queen has except more with the cotton candy goodness of Midway and less of the plum that the Queen had. The sweetness is taking the incense and flowers and all of them are settling into something etheral and fleeting. Definately very evoctive of the carnival at night.

Edited September 16, 2006 by Deiicide

[SultryWolf]

This scent is tricky to describe. You might like it, or you might not, but you will never konw for sure unless you smell it in person!

 

In the bottle: When I read the description "sugared incense" I thought, "Huh?" - but that is exactly what it smells like, with a touch of ozone.

 

On: A crisp, clear olfactory sensation, like that from mint, though it's not at all minty. Flowers waft in and out as on a night breeze.

Has a reasonable throw, and lasts quite a while.

 

I may need a second bottle of this!

[Alchemy21599]

Another scent from my lovely decanter I love incense, but "sweet" doesn't work sometimes, so I went for the decant rather than a bottle straight-away.

 

In the vial: simple syrup and a slight cassis fruitiness.

 

Au bras: the sweet and simple fragrance of a young girl. This reminds me of a Lilly of the Valley fragrance stick that I had as a girl.

 

Sweet, floral and off to swaps.

[LittleGreyKitten]

Initially, this smells like the best, most luxe clothes washing detergent ever. Ozone, I hate you! Then it dries. And improves. It starts smelling less like detergent, and more vanilla-yum. I'll play with it some more, but so far, it's hard to say whether this will be one I am able to wear or not. Could go either way.

[mountainwitch]

When I first put this on, I was ready to swoon with delight . . . It was all sugar, with a lovely blend of flowers that was certainly not jasmine-heavy. Sugary and sweet and all wonderful . . .

 

And then the sugar melted away. Suddenly I smelled like fruity incense, like I remember Spencer's when I was a kid. If only it still smelled like that wonderful opening, I'd be buying this one by the gallon.

[Dinah]

This starts out as lovely, sweet, blooming incense on my skin. However, after a short time it turns soapy and all that is left on my skin after it has dried is sweet, sugary soap.

 

I guess the night-blooming flowers, whatever they are, do not like me.

[tarotgirl99]

When I read the description of this, I was sure I'd love it (mmmm, candied incense), but then I heard it was like Midway...which dismayed me. I'm not much of a foodie...

 

In the bottle: candied incense.

 

On my skin: same, but even moreso. I am truly in love. It's like I always wanted violets to smell like, but they don't. And some sanctified, but subtle smokiness that makes this sweet and holy simultaneously.

 

This one I will buy in bottle form.

[QueenFae]

Sweet, simple, and lovely. The florals in this blend smell amazing, I think there may be some night blooming jasmine and lavendar in there. The flowers are blended so beautifully with the sweet incense notes, which are actually more on the incensey side than sugary side. The sweetness of the faint sugared note pulls everything together, and creates a sort of overall creamy floral feel to the blend as a whole. This is unique, eerie, and gorgoeus. I love it!!

[Medici]

Smoked out, sugared floral with a slightly soapy undertone which makes the blend slightly volatile with my chemistry - at the present time, it's more resiny floral than it was last week. Last week, it was pure soap and I couldn't have worn it even if I wanted to.

 

Right now, I am in the Midway zone, man. If the blend holds like this for the rest of the night, it's paradise.

 

It's dark and glossy and a little airy too - like a spooked out night hanging around the carnival after ingesting a stomachfull of psychoactive mushrooms. The florals are very understated on me, for which I am positively gleeful.

[fairy]

My very first Carnaval arrived a few days ago and I *love* it. This scent is amazing. Very sweet and sugary like everyone else said. I also smell pretty flowers and something aquatic. If this scent were a visual, for me it would be a bouquet of midnight blue and deep purple flowers, sprinkled with glitter, alone and abandoned on the sand next to the ocean...it's 3am. (if that makes any sense )

 

Beautiful~

Edited September 24, 2006 by maddi

[smallvoice]

First of all, let me say that I love maddi's review for this one. I love it when people get descriptive to capture a scent. I read something recently by Macha that was lovely, too. Anyway!

 

This smells floral to me. There's a hint of lemon blossoms; it's not the tangy juice or the bitter zest, but it is a sort of floral lemon. I don't know if that's what real lemon blossoms smell like, but it's the closest I can come to describing this. It is very soft, and not at all the smoky incense I was expecting. It is slowly getting sweeter on my skin. Unlike Midway, it doesn't turn to dust, but it doesn't smell much at all like Midway on my chemistry. I think I like it, but it's so... elusive, almost. I think I may need to swap this one. I'll hold onto it for a bit, though.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle... this smells like some sort of fruit flavored cotton candy and reminds me of hyper sweet strawberry or blueberry. It's like sweet, fruity cotton candy and some sort of beautiful nighttime floral and air scent. Smells a bit like moonflower's cool, enchantingly soft floral.

 

On me... mmm, this is such a unique and lovely fragrance. It isn't really a sugary sweetness on me so much as a tart sweetness. The ozone adds a wonderful little bite to the blend (and I normally don't like ozone or aquatics, but it's such a light background note here that it works wonderfully).

 

Fruity, tart cotton candy, a salty but dry ozone note, and the chilly and slightly powdery smell of moonflower. This is the smell of a wonderfully happy and magical night though nothing here strikes me as smelling of incense.

 

Midnight on the Midway is just gorgeous. It might warrant purchasing another couple bottles before the Carnaval leaves town.

[maijasu]

I tested this one out yesterday, and I think I have a new top 10 favorite! I love the sugared incense smell, and the flowers aren't overwhelming. They kind of drift in and out of the scent, so sometimes they are barely even noticeable. The scent is peaceful and comforting, and just makes me happy. I will definitely be getting a bottle.

[jenrandom]

On me, this is sugar covered flowers in a room of light incense. I really like it!

[forspecial_plate]

Midnight on the Midway smells mostly like sharp, high pitched (if I understand that term correctly, as it pertains to perfume) incense, maybe some flowers, and a very little bit of sugar or candy. At first it made me think of a cleaning product, then it *clicked* in my head that it smells like a certain brand of suntan lotion, I can't remember which. It dies down as it dries, and becomes something nice that I can live with and even enjoy. It's the incense aspect that I really like, although it's a challenging scent for me to enjoy. It's growing on me though, and I think I'll keep the imp, especially since elfmaiden made such nice labels for her decants! : )

 

Edit: I have to say this turned out to be more of a favorite than I expected. I'm not sure how it works on me but it does. I don't wear it often but I liked it enough to get a whole bottle and that's saying something. Very potent and a little goes a long way.

Edited February 5, 2008 by Forspecial Plate

[ajcj213499]

I LOVE this!

 

I was a little worried about the florals, because I'm not really in the mood for more flowers right now. I was hoping for the sugared incense, and that' just what I got (lucky me!)...

 

When I first put it on I smelled a light soapiness, but a pretty, clean soapiness- nice, but not what I was expecting...

 

After about 5 minutes the soapiness goes away and leaves sweet beautiful incense- I didn't really detect any florals.

 

This is really wonderful, and lasts a decent amount of time on my skin (more than a lot of other oils).

 

I'm getting a bottle of this in my next order.

[batsy]

In the bottle: Sugary Febreeze. No, I'm not joking!

 

On the skin: I do smell the sugar, but the florals... I just never do well with florals. I will not be on the Midway at midnight.